“I think we’re just not aggressive enough,” reserve center Jakob Poeltl said. “We’re very passive. We’re trying to change that, but somehow we still fall into bad habits. We’re being the reactors instead of forcing them to go where we want them to go.”

Asked if the Spurs just need to be patient in rebuilding their wayward defense, Poeltl demurred.

“Yeah, I guess,” Poeltl said. “We really should have it down already. We don’t, so we have to keep working on it.”

Poeltl’s night squandered: Lost in another miserable night in Utah was another breakout game from Poeltl.

It was a bittersweet accomplishment for Poeltl, obtained from Toronto as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal in July.

“It didn’t really matter,” Poeltl said. “You get a career high in a 30-point loss, it doesn’t feel great.”

It marked the second big game for Poeltl in a miserable defeat over the past four contests. He had a then-season high 14 points and eight rebounds in the Nov. 28 loss at Minnesota.

If nothing else, Poeltl has shown signs of putting things together in his third NBA season after mostly languishing on the bench his first month with the Spurs.

He has seen his playing time increase with Pau Gasol sidelined by a stress fracture in his left foot.

“I think a lot of it has to do with getting comfortable,” Poeltl said. “There’s a different focus on big men here compared to Toronto. In Toronto, we ran a lot of pick and rolls, but I still touched the ball. Here we have a different kind of ball movement and play through our bigs a bit more. It gives me confidence as well.”

Metu earns praise: Rookie forward Chimezie Metu was back near his old college stomping grounds Wednesday.

Metu played three college seasons at USC before the Spurs made him a second-round pick in June.

Entering Tuesday, Metu had appeared in 14 games, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds. He had his best game of the season in mop-up duty in Utah, producing 10 points and two steals in 13 minutes.

Popovich praised the 21-year-old’s work ethic.

“He’s working like crazy, before games, after games,” Popovich said. “He’s the first guy off the bench if we do something good in a game, a great teammate. He’s always there first and last at practice. He’s been great.”